Top Tips for Teaching Race and Ethnicity

Summary

The following guidance points have been collated from suggestions made by research participants of the ‘Exploring Race and Ethnicity on Social Science Degree Programmes’ project, based on approaches they had found useful in their own teaching. They are not intended as definitive recommendations from the project team and may or may not be rooted in robust pedagogical research evidence. As such, readers should make their own judgements as to whether the tips presented would be useful and appropriate for their needs.

Clarify Your Purpose and Position

• Articulate your aims openly — link sessions to broader goals of equity and social justice.
• Explain to students why race and ethnicity matter within your subject.
• Shift from “raising awareness” toward enabling critical analysis and structural understanding.
• Frame yourself as a facilitator of dialogue rather than the final authority.
• Be transparent about your own learning journey and limitations.

Embed Race and Ethnicity across the Curriculum

• Integrate race and ethnicity themes throughout core modules rather than in isolated weeks.
• Re-examine course aims and learning outcomes to include diverse perspectives.
• Use critical frameworks to question whose knowledge dominates your discipline.
• Collaborate with colleagues to embed these topics across programmes.
• Review whether assessment and feedback reflect inclusive learning aims.

Diversify Reading Lists and Learning Materials

• Audit your reading lists for balance across race, gender, and geography.
• Include scholarship and creative work from under-represented groups.
• Discuss with students why certain voices have been historically excluded.
• Invite students to suggest or co-create reading materials.
• Avoid tokenism: connect new materials meaningfully to course concepts.

Use Varied and Engaging Resources

• Incorporate films, podcasts, art, and spoken-word materials alongside academic texts.
• Use digital archives or community collections to illustrate lived experiences.
• Bring in real-time examples from media and social platforms to connect theory and practice.
• Link materials to clear learning outcomes to avoid “show-and-tell” approaches.
• Encourage students to critique how race and ethnicity are represented across media.

Teach through Case Studies and Evidence

• Choose case studies that highlight both historical and contemporary inequalities.
• Use official data and reports to ground discussions in evidence.
• Connect classroom learning to social movements and current affairs.
• Discuss the ethics of using traumatic or sensitive material.
• Encourage students to analyse causes, not only outcomes, of inequality.

Build Inclusive and Supportive Classroom Environments

• Set shared expectations for respectful dialogue early in the term.
• Co-create discussion norms with students to promote inclusion.
• Check regularly how students are experiencing the classroom climate.
• Make participation accessible through small-group and written activities.
• Avoid putting individual students in the position of “spokesperson” for a cultural group.

Facilitate Difficult Conversations with Confidence

• Prepare strategies for responding to microaggressions or challenging comments.
• Pause and reframe when discussions become heated rather than ignoring tension.
• Encourage students to use evidence and reasoning, not personal attack.
• Normalise discomfort as part of critical learning.
• Seek peer or mentor support after difficult sessions to reflect and recover.

Use Active and Experiential Learning

• Design workshops, role-plays, or field visits that connect theory to lived experience.
• Use reflection exercises that prompt students to examine their own assumptions.
• Employ collaborative tasks where diverse perspectives enhance outcomes.
• Balance activities so all voices are heard, not only the confident few.
• Debrief experiential sessions carefully to consolidate learning.

Practise Reflexivity and Acknowledge Positionality

• Reflect regularly on how your own identity and experiences shape your teaching.
• Recognise your privilege or marginalisation and how this may influence classroom power dynamics.
• Admit when you are uncertain or learning alongside students.
• Build space for self-reflection into teaching preparation and evaluation.
• Approach discomfort as a sign of growth rather than failure.

Support Diverse Student Engagement

• Recognise and validate the emotional labour involved in learning about race and ethnicity.
• Check who feels empowered or silenced in discussions and adjust accordingly.
• Use anonymous channels for questions or reflections to widen participation.
• Encourage empathy and perspective-taking across different groups.
• Offer additional guidance for students processing personal experiences of racism.

Design Inclusive Assessment and Feedback

• Offer varied assessment formats — essays, reflective pieces, creative outputs, or presentations.
• Ensure marking criteria reward critical reflection and use of diverse sources.
• Provide feedback that supports intellectual risk-taking and growth.
• Discuss assessment expectations transparently to avoid hidden rules.
• Review outcomes to check for unintentional bias.

Connect Teaching with Communities and Partners

• Work with community organisations, activists, or practitioners to co-deliver sessions.
• Arrange visits or projects that expose students to applied work on race and ethnicity.
• Use guest speakers to bring in lived experience responsibly and respectfully.
• Support students to link coursework to community issues.
• Reflect together on ethical engagement and reciprocity.

Recognise Institutional Barriers and Advocate for Change

• Identify where institutional policies or cultures limit progress.
• Use evidence from your teaching to advocate for systemic change.
• Raise issues collectively rather than carrying the burden alone.
• Connect classroom practice to wider university equality strategies.
• Document good practice to build institutional memory and continuity.

Engage in Ongoing Professional Development

• Join or form staff networks focused on race and decolonisation.
• Attend workshops, reading groups, or external training on inclusive pedagogy.
• Share teaching materials and reflections with colleagues across disciplines.
• Mentor new educators who wish to develop their teaching practice.
• Celebrate small wins and continual progress rather than perfection.

Keep Reflecting and Adapting

• Review and update course materials each year to stay current.
• Seek feedback from students and peers to refine your approach.
• Document changes and share lessons learned with colleagues.
• Treat missteps as learning opportunities, not reasons to withdraw.
• Balance care for students with self-care to sustain long-term commitment.